Paralyzer
by Dr Spleenmeister
Summary: An instant, magnetic attraction to a nameless stranger is sometimes unavoidable; but when something deeper blossoms once the lust has subsided, the consequences must be dealt with. Spock/Uhura
1. Struck

**A/N: Spocky-kins is so very, very OOC in this, but it's just for kicks so if you don't like it, tough!**

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**Paralyzer**

**1. Struck**

Spock hated this place. He didn't care about his Vulcan birthright, supressing his emotions or keeping them on a tight rein, he let them flow through him and felt his lip curl is disgust. He _hated_ this place.

He had foolishly allowed one of the fourth year students who had been working as his research assistant, drag him along on what he had called 'pussy hunting'. Spock had no desire to search for a cat or, as Cadet Franklin had crudely alluded to, engage a female for intimacy. His brow creasing into a faint scowl that accentuated and deepened his sneer, Spock surveyed the crowd as it pulsated in time to a vulgar rhythm. The thick, pounding bass pouring from a pair of glistening speaker stacks straddling the club's ample stage, had permeated the hot air of the room with a seductive throb, and several of the _dancers_ - Spock used the term extremely loosely - were taking full advantage of the suggestive beat. Finishing off his non-alcoholic drink, Spock watched askance as, in the middle of the dance floor, his very capable, very intelligent assistant squeezed himself close enough to his dance partner to actually join her in her already tight clothing.

Turning back to the bar, Spock ordered something a little stronger than the elderflower water he had been drinking previously. He could simply leave, in fact nothing would please him more as there were far too many people in this room and the music was louder than comfortable for his sensitive hearing; but Commander Teliv in her official posting as his commanding officer had ordered him to spend some social time with his assistant. Franklin was something of a prodigy and Teliv had encouraged - alright, _ordered_ - Spock to develop a closer relationship with the young man. Closeness between colleagues was not something Spock took issue with per se, but he was not overly fond of the socialising aspect expected by his human counterparts. However, in a gesture of good faith - and with a possible court marshal in the offing if Teliv's glare while issuing the order was anything to go by - he agreed to join Franklin in his venture this evening.

That he had agreed to it, did not automatically follow that he had to enjoy it.

Returning his gaze to the dance floor, with drink in hand, Spock was doing his best to smooth the remaining traces of distaste from his face, when something caught his eye.

A group of women were dancing on the periphery of the crowd. They were all scantily clad and their movements were clearly designed to inflame the men that looked their way. One in particular caught his gaze; her skirt was too short and her top was too low, her black hair flowed decadently about her shoulders and her arms dripped with adornments. He found her alluring, despite the fact that she was dressed like a twentieth century street walker.

Spock sipped at his drink, watching the woman as she danced.

One of her friends, an Orion wearing even less than she was, pulled her close to bellow in her ear. The dark haired woman laughed, exposing an impossible length of throat as she did. She ran one hand through her hair and moved her head to follow her friend's outstretched arm; she was pointing to someone across the room. The woman stretched up onto tiptoes to wave over the crowd at the person the orion had pointed out. From the entrance of the club, a sandy haired man waved back before weaving his way through the crowd to meet her. The two embraced in a quick greeting and the man leaned down to shout in her ear, as the other woman had done, in order to be heard over the music. He stopped talking with a laugh as she playfully pushed him away.

Spock quirked an eyebrow; he hoped the woman wasn't in any sort of communications field, as she would most likely be hearing impaired after tonight, what with the deafening music and her friends' concerted efforts to burst her eardrums.

The man she had shoved was promptly pulled forward again into her personal space and the two began to dance together. Despite himself, Spock was intrigued as always by this side of human behaviour; she had pushed him away only to encourage his advances mere second later. Most contrary. He sipped again at his drink, beginning to feel a faint buzz from the alien intoxicant.

The song changed and the crowd stirred in excitement; clearly this was a popular track. The object of Spock's perusal turned so her back was to the blond man's front, then moved fluidly to the beat, pushing her hips back into his with every dominant beat.

Spock blinked.

The man's face spit into a grin and he took hold of the hips that were pushing back against him. As the two moved together and Spock's temperature began to climb at the floor show, he finally understood the appeal of this venue. Maybe it wasn't quite so bad after all; the decor was actually quite pleasant, the music was charming in its own way, and the palatable liquor in his glass was now absent...

He blinked again and stared into his empty glass; when had he drained it?

When he looked up again, the woman he had been watching was now looking at him. He froze like the proverbial deer in headlights he usually only saw in his classroom. The woman, admirably multitasking as she maintained her dance, ran her gaze over him and smirked slowly, clearly enjoying what she saw. Spock swallowed and raised his glass to moisten his suddenly dry throat, forgetting that it was empty.

_I'm not paralyzed but I seem to be struck by you_

Nyota loved this bar. The music was great, the drinks were cheap, and the guys could dance. Jim Kirk had finally decided to join them and was now attached to her backside as they danced. She was playing Wing-man for Gaila tonight; she knew her friend didn't need the help getting her claws into Jim, but it was nice to be able to flaunt her own femininity from time to time.

Speaking of flaunting...

Her gaze went to Tom Franklin's 'companion' for the night; the guy was standing alone at the bar while Tom was on the other side of the room, busily trying to get into Ensign Mwabe's pants. The man at the bar was clearly as straight laced as they came, with his no-nonsense haircut and stern expression.

There was something about nerdy men that hit her in all the dangerously right places.

The man was looking into his empty glass in confusion and Nyota grinned, he was cute! He looked up directly at her and she suddenly got the sense that he had been watching her. When his eyes widened upon realisation that she too was looking at him, she knew she was right.

She licked her lips, her target for the night acquired, and ran her gaze appreciatively over his body. He was tall, long limbed and slender, his shoulders and pectorals were not overly developed, but they strained the fabric of his shirt just enough to make it clear that strong muscle lay below. Oh dear God, he was nerdy _and_ built, either aspect alone was enough to attract her, but together? Carnage.

Unwilling and unable to hold it back, Nyota let her lips curl into a satisfied, seductive smirk, letting him know that she was interested. The man blinked at her, frozen in place, and Nyota realised that she was going to have to force him to make a move, because he sure wasn't making one on his own. Turning around in Jim's loose embrace, she looped her arms around his neck and moved their hips together, holding the stranger's gaze the whole time.

_I want to make you move because you're standing still_

Jealousy was not an emotion Spock was familiar with, but if the cold stone that had sunk into his belly was any indication, it was not a pleasant one. In dismay he watched the blond man grin as he slid his hands down to cup the woman's buttocks. She was still looking at him, a challenge in her expression that read _'don't like it? Then do something about it'._ His blood had gone cold and something deep inside him demanded that he march over and wrench the other man away from his prize.

Struggling to keep the violent urge in abeyance, Spock allowed himself a luxury that he rarely indulged in; he allowed every drop of the abrupt lust that surged through him to smolder in his expressive, human eyes. The woman cocked her head in interest, and he smirked internally in relief; clearly lowering his customary mask for a second had been successful if she was able to read him from her current distance.

_If your body matches what your eyes can do_

_You'll probably move right through me on my way to you_

Nyota shivered as the stranger reacted to her flirting with a smouldering, hungry look. His chin had lowered so he could gaze at her through his brows, his eyes were dark, dangerous and his attraction blazed in the depths.

Impressive.

If any other man in the room thought he had a chance with Nyota Uhura tonight, they were going to be disappointed; her nerd was not only tall, dark and built, he was HOT.


	2. Match

**A/N: I did a spot of research for this part, but it was only a spot; try not to garrote me if I got a little bit wrong here and there.**

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**Paralyzer - 2. Match**

_If your body matches what your eyes can do_

_You'll probably move right through me on my way to you_

Uhura was no sooner out of the door of the club than she felt herself spun around by a pair of strong, male hands and pinned to the wall. His long, hard body followed to press along the entire length of her and she crooned up into the kiss that suddenly snared her lips. Vulcans didn't kiss, she was sure she'd read that somewhere, it did something googly to their insides. Yet, as he hungrily explored her mouth, his breath huffing through his nose against her cheek, she couldn't muster the will to pull back and tell him so.

Spock had no idea where his ingrained sense of Vulcan decorum had wandered off to, but right now he was immensely glad it had gotten lost. Her kiss was nothing short of volcanic, and all of his mental breakers had short circuited the instant his lips met hers. His hands had taken on a mind of their own and they quickly set to work learning all of her curves, said curves were plentiful and glorious and his hands were ecstatic in their exploration. Clarity abruptly and rudely struck through the blinding lust; Spock realised that even as she melted his boots, he didn't know her name. Latching onto a large enough shard of his shattered restraint to pull back for a second, he growled against her lips, "Name."

Nyota panted for breath as they parted, grateful for the moment's reprieve but hungry for more of his unexpectedly devastating kiss. "What?" His hands flexed, curling the fingers into her waist as he repeated himself. "Oh! Nyota Uhura." His lips went to her neck just below her jaw and he husked his own equally exotic name into her skin. She shuddered and a wave of heat crashed through her; he had spoken his full name in his native Anakana Vulcan, it sounded illogically decadent when growled in his rich, deep voice. He was nibbling along the column of her neck, tracing the pulse that fluttered below her skin with his lips and, while it was doing marvelous things to her madly palpitating heart, she was acutely aware of the club's bouncers lurking just around the corner; she didn't want them to get caught with their pants down, so to speak. Before he could seize her lips again - which she could sense he was about to - she managed to gasp out, "My sister's place is just a couple of blocks down, she's away for the weekend and I have the keys." and hoped he'd take the hint.

Spock really _really_ didn't want to tear himself away from the full body contact he was currently enjoying with his prize, but her offer of somewhere more secluded for them to continue their activities was most appealing. After all he was not an exhibitionist, regardless of how impossibly hot and beyond his own command he was right now. Drawing back but maintaining his grip on her hips, he closed his eyes for a second, struggling to get his libido under control enough for the walk to her home. The next thing he knew, she had pulled his hands away from her body and slipped her right hand into his left to lead him down the street. Opening his eyes so he didn't trip over as she tugged on his hand, he allowed her to all but drag him the short distance to her apartment block. He was reassured to note from her urgent stride that she was just as effected by their exchange as he.

Nyota could not believe her luck. She'd come out with Gaila tonight with absolutely no intention of leaving with anybody, yet she'd managed to score the hottest nerd in the room. The average woman would not count this as a victory, but Nyota had always had a thing for intellectuals, and with this Spock being Vulcan, it was a given that he would be disgustingly bright. At this moment in time, however, she was less interested in what was in his head and more interested in the contents of his pants. The hand clasped tightly in hers was warm, strong, and weirdly she could feel his desire trickle up her arm from the skin to skin contact. She'd read that Vulcans didn't touch other people that much because of their contact telepathic abilities; but then again she'd read they didn't kiss either, maybe that particular book needed burning. The thrill of discovery - she didn't know _anyone_ who'd been with a Vulcan, even Gaila hadn't - and adrenaline from her victory injected an excited speed into her pace. She couldn't wait to get him back to her apartment, strip him naked, then do things to him that would never make it into books on Vulcan behaviour either.

Spock was close to being out of control, the hand in his was the most physical contact he had allowed between himself and another being in close to two years. From the contact he knew she would be able to feel his desire; fortunately for him the communication went both ways and he could sense her excitement mounting the closer they got to her apartment. The two way flow of want was creating a feedback loop and Spock could feel his mind beginning to cloud as his vision tunneled to focus entirely on her. It was a small mercy that she lived so close to the club, but one that he was grateful for as his eyes fell to her buttocks. He swallowed drily, were they there yet?

Once they were inside the apartment, it was Spock's turn to be the prey to Nyota's hunter as she slammed him hard against the wall. He grunted with the impact and grinned in feral abandonment as she took hold of his wrists and pinned them to the wall at his sides. The lips he had been desperate to reclaim all the way over were on his again and he drove his tongue deep into her mouth, a hard groan reverberating through his chest as his tongue slid against hers. Oh dear God, this was not a kiss, this was tongue sex, he'd never felt anything like it and his fingers flexed uselessly at his sides with the urge to touch her.

Nerds weren't supposed to be this hot, weren't supposed to kiss as well as this, and certainly weren't supposed to growl like that; surely he was defying some law of physics by even existing? Nyota tugged on his wrists and pulled him away from the wall, guiding him backwards through the apartment without ever severing the connection between their lips. By the time they reached her bedroom, Nyota was positively on fire, the hard, eager body pressing urgently against her demanding to be pleasured was taking control of her brain and making her burn to do just that. Finally pulling back from the molten kiss, she shoved his shoulders so he staggered backwards to land on her bed.

Spock bounced once where he landed, but was unconcerned about his flagrant lack of dignity as she crawled into his lap to continue the thrust and parry of tongues. No longer restrained, he let his hands run wild and they skimmed over the curves he had already committed to memory before slipping into her too-tight clothing. Sensation, heat and desire exploded in his mind from the intimate caress of her skin and he murmured incoherently into her mouth, overwhelmed by his own reaction. She moved to murmur a filthy question directly into his ear, nuzzling the tip with her nose as she did so; he shook his head in a negative, a faint flush dusting his cheeks and she pulled back with an eager smile.

Nyota all but jumped form his lap in her haste to get him stripped, her fingers worked the fastenings to his clothing with unnatural speed while he set about ignoring the fastenings to hers and simply ripped his way through the flimsy fabric.

They were no sooner both naked than Spock found himself flat on his back with Nyota braced over him on her hands and knees. He looked down between them and watched with a raised eyebrow as his cock twitched upwards in excitement into the space between their bodies, as if pointing out to him where it wanted to go. She followed his gaze then met his gaze again with a grin, "Keen, isn't he?" She dipped her hips to kiss the excited tip with her own sex. He hissed at the fire that shot down his length and burned in his groin, and fought not to thrust up into her then and there; he had the distinct feeling that she had something else in mind and he was more than willing to exercise the little patience he had left, in anticipation of greater return.

Nyota smiled again, acknowledging his restraint and pledging to see he was rewarded for his efforts. Slowing the frantic urgency that had possessed them before, she leaned down to capture his lips with hers, dipping her hips to allow him to slip a little further inside her body as she did. He whined into her mouth as she teased his head and his tongue, his hands came up from where they had been twisting into the sheets on the bed to rest on her waist. Holding her hips firmly in place, he returned the favour and pushed up to slide slowly inch by agonisingly pleasurable inch into her excited, tight, welcoming heat, until she broke the kiss to gasp against his face. "_Glu, Spock, beyik..."_

Spock cried out softly as she spoke to him in his native tongue, it was unexpectedly erotic and his body softened in tenderness below her, even while he remained hard within her. His finger tips suddenly itched with the urge to seek out her face and breathe his passion into her mind. He was in danger of making this interaction be more than it was, mean more than it was; it was lust, that was all, he had to remind himself again and again as she murmured more words into his mouth.

"_Weht, Spock, weht sanoi." _Nyota sighed as he finally acquiesced and drove himself deeper into her with a soft moan. She trembled from a mixture of pleasure and a deeper want that she did not dare address; this was lust, that was all, there was no way he felt anything for her beyond that, after all they had only just met. Her arms finally gave way and her body dropped down to lay atop him as he moved his hips in a slow, almost loving rhythm. His own arms came about her to hold her close as the mindless sex they had set out to share morphed so subtly into something else, that neither noticed the other was completely consumed by the beauty of the moment.

**A/N: Next, the morning after...**


	3. Flare

**A/N: Wow, over half of my total hits this month are for this story! Thanks guys!**

**Paralyzer - 3. Flare**

Nota awoke to the most delicious feeling of heavy lethargy permeating her body. Every single muscle she possessed ached pleasantly after the night's activities. She smiled sleepily and ran the fingers of one hand gently through the tousled mop of silky black hair tickling the side of her face, careful not to disturb the owner. Her Vulcan duvet was a pleasant deadweight half draped across her body and his face nuzzled comfortably into the crook of her neck as he slept. He was like some kind of huge cat - but with less hair - cuddled up to her side, one arm and the corresponding leg thrown carelessly over her as he breathed slowly into her collar bone.

Completely relaxed, Nyota felt herself slipping into memories of the night, and most importantly, how things had changed so quickly. Skimming through the key moments, she managed to pin down the exact instant when the wild sex had morphed into love making hot enough to melt her skin. She had spoken to him in Vulcan and he had looked up at her with surprise and delight clear in his deep brown eyes. As he had drawn her close, his body undulating smoothly below hers, she had felt the fingers of his right hand brush her temples for a fraction of a second. He had gasped at the whispering contact, his lips seeking out the tender flesh of her neck as his hips pushed him deeper into her. For her part, Nyota had felt a gentle tickle at the back of her mind, which had proceeded to creep slowly down her spine and coil deep in her loins. Breathing heavily, the scent of him filling her senses, she had mirrored the gesture, curious to see if her touch would have a similar effect on him.

She was not to be disappointed.

He cried out weakly and arched below her, his length swelling inside her, before he seized her wrist in one hand and pulled her fingers away from his face. He had looked up at her with lidded eyes, his body stilling for a moment as he struggled to catch his breath. "Please, do not touch me there, I-I cannot-" he broke off with a whimper as one of her exploratory fingers flexed and managed to lightly touch him again. Despite his attempt to stop what was dangerously close to happening, his other hand came helplessly up to brush her temple again. This time they both cried out in unison as an intoxicating surge of passionate telepathy snaked between them and shallow whispers of their thoughts inter-weaved and overlapped.

_Beyik-_

_Close-_

_Lamekh-_

_Hot-_

_Ovsoh-_

_Complete._

They climaxed together, clutching one another close enough to bruise, yet weak with the force of what had ignited between them.

Nyota opened her eyes, returning to the present as Spock stirred in her arms. She tilted her head to look down at him as he blinked sleepily up at her. His voice was rough with sleep when he spoke, "Good morning." An undignified yawn gaped his face and he rubbed his eyes with one hand. He moved to roll away from where he was still draped over her, but she touched the hand not entwined in his hair to his naked hip, holding him in place with a warm sigh. He relaxed without a fightand returned to his previous position, snuggled against her shoulder, still intoxicated with the feel of her. "Have you been awake for long?"

"About ten minutes. Are you hungry? I have some fruit I picked up yesterday and I think there's some Vulcan tea in the kitchen somewhere." She continued to pet his hair and tried not to laugh as he purred against her, her earlier analogy comparing him to a cat was certainly very apt.

He sighed in contentment, basking in the same comfortable lethargy that Nyota had done upon first awakening. "I am hungry, last night was most... vigorous."

Nyota chuckled throatily as she detected an interested twitch against her thigh, it seemed even Vulcans were prone to morning glory.

Spock blushed into her neck and murmured an apology, embarrassed by his uncontrollable desire. He did not know how it had happened but he had relinquished all control of his impulses last night and his body was still singing with sexuality. He had no wish to restrain it, so he rolled his hips sensually against her hip and moaned softly as lazy arousal flowed through his body.

Nyota moved quickly, rolling away from him and almost laughing as he made an indignant noise of protest. Rising to her feet by the bed, she stretched her arms high over her head, grunting in satisfaction as her spine popped in several places. Relaxing from the stretch she found him tangled in her sheets and staring at her with a faint flush dusting his cheekbones. His eyes danced over her nude body and his gaze had darkened. "Where are you going?" His voice was thick with lust and she had to fight the urge to jump right back into bed with him.

"For a shower." She raised a quick, suggestive eyebrow at him and said no more. Turning, she made sure he had a good view of her rear coronal plane and walked to the bathroom, making sure to sway her hips just so. She could almost hear him licking his lips from behind her, so it was no surprise that she found herself with a shower partner mere seconds after stepping under the spray of hot water.

Slippery hands spread delicately scented shower gel over hot skin, until they could resist no longer and slid their lips and bodies together under the spray. Nyota, remembering her negatively answered question from the night before, slid down his body to rest on her knees before him. He looked down at her, his eyes dilated, water dripping from his fringe, his hands resting on her shoulders as his lips parted to gasp, "What-what are you doing?"

She smirked and his fingers flexed involuntarily into her shoulders, the tenuous telepathic link they had inadvertently established before telegraphing his excitement through his fingers and into her skin. She licked her lips and replied, "Being your first." With that innocent, yet intent-loaded statement hanging in the air, she set to work.

Spock choked on a gasp as she kissed him intimately, he was no virgin but this was something he had never experienced. The last female he had been with had been Vulcan, as was the one before that - who had been his first; neither of those women had even hinted at anything as intimate as this. He had read somewhere that human men often enjoyed this act more than intercourse itself. He had been curious but when he had suggested it to his second partner she had looked at him with as much shock as a full Vulcan with no clothes on could muster. So he had blushed and stammered and promptly lost his erection. Her reaction had very effectively rid him of his curiosity and he had never dwelled on it again. Now that it was happening he was considering himself insane for having written it off. Nyota's lips were soft, gentle, teasing; she was simultaneously exploring him and driving him wild. He cried out as she licked the sensitive frenulum and his knees threatened to shake when her lips closed lightly around the head of his penis.

Nyota glanced up to watch his reaction as she slowly let more of him slip into her mouth. She hummed in satisfaction as his head fell back against the shower wall and his fingers tightened into her shoulders. His hips began to gently thrust his length further into her mouth and she was suddenly filled with a hunger, a need to show him the sort of pleasure he'd never received. She tightened her lips, stroked him harder with her tongue and brought up one hand to lightly grasp him.

Spock groaned and his head fell forward to hang limply on his neck as she stepped up the pace. His whole body was on fire, his blood felt like it had turned into lava as it burned through his veins. This was incredible, it was beyond incredible, it was beyond anything, he forced his eyes open to watch her and immediately felt electricity crackle at the base of his skull. Panting hard, his pants becoming rhythmic moans, grunts, cries, he finally howled and threw his head back as the electricity in his skull shot down his spine and exploded in release.

Nyota rose to her feet, helping him to remain standing as he sagged limply against the shower wall, his legs trembling and useless, his eyes closed in blissful afterglow and his arms too weak to do any more than loop heavily around her waist. By some gargantuan effort he managed to prise his eyes open and suck in enough breath to ask permission to reciprocate. Nyota smirked and pointed out that he was really in no fit state to do so.

Spock was not known for backing down when challenged. Closing his eyes again, he forced clarity into his own mind and allowed one hand to drift down her body. Zoning in on the spot that he remembered had driven her to madness the night before, he set about returning the favour.

Nyota was startled at how quickly he was able to wrest himself from near-unconsciousness and focus on the task at hand. Looping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his throat, she trembled against him as he gently stimulated her already swollen clitoris. Biting down on the olive hued skin of his neck, she cried out as he became bold and slid the finger that was touching her further back to sip into her body. She felt a vibrating groan in his chest and realised that he was quickly recovering from his own release. Reaching down between them, she ran a finger along the rapidly re-swelling length and he hissed into her hair. The next thing she knew he had driven her backwards until her back impacted with the cold tiles of the shower wall. The freezing cold at her back faded into insignificance when his burning body pressed forwards to hold her steady as his hands went to her hips to lift her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and met his gaze as he slid her slowly down the wall to be impaled upon his hardened sex.

The lazy, post orgasmic haze had been cleared with some effort and Spock found his body freshly awake with burning desire. Her eyes sparked with dilated want, so he wasted no time on further foreplay and went straight for his original target: to make her scream his name. It didn't take him long; despite his abandon the night before, he had been paying attention and he knew exactly how to thrust into her and at which angle in order to elicit the maximum response. She was soon clawing tracks into his back and he seized her lips in a bruising kiss as he pounded into her, determined to see her to orgasm before he took his own release. Feeling the tell-tale tickle in his lower back that signaled his impending end, he let go of her with one hand and cheated, brushing his fingers against her temple.

Nyota's breath caught and for a moment that stretched from here to eternity, the universe stood still. The whisper into her mind slammed her back into the present moment and she screamed his name as she trembled around him and he pulsed inside her.

Unable to remain on his feet any longer, Spock sank to his knees, taking Nyota with him and they sat tangled together on the floor of the shower, raining kisses upon each others face and wondering how anything in existence could be bad when there was the possibility for euphoria such as this.

It was a long time before they could stand and clean each other off, the driving need to couple sated, leaving a comfortable, companionable warmth in its wake. Eventually they made it to the kitchen for the breakfast she had promised. Sitting together at her small breakfast table, they made eyes at each other as they ate.

"Last night, when we touched here," Nyota indicated her temple, "and this morning when you did it again. What was that?"

Spock watched her over his mug of tea for a long moment before countering. "Last night you spoke to me in Vulcan. How much of our culture do you know about?"

"Not that much, I tried to do a research project on Vulcans but you guys are pretty secretive."

He blinked. "Research project?"

She nodded as she took a sip of tea, "Mmhmm, I'm studying Xenolinguistics and Communication Protocol at the Academy. Why do you ask? And why are you avoiding the question?"

Spock's pulse thundered in his ears.

She was a student.

Inspiration struck and he fought to keep his voice even, as he clutched at the one straw that might save them, "Which academy?"

She laughed and wondered if all Vulcans were this amusing, "THE Academy of course; Starfleet. Why?"

If he had been fully human his voice would have squeaked as he replied, "No reason." Swallowing, he asked, "Should you not be accommodated in the student dormitories?"

"This is my sister's apartment, she's away for the weekend and gave me the keys in case anything happened while she's gone."

Oh God, he had just had the most blistering intimate experience of his short thirty two years and it was with a cadet.

He was in sooo much trouble.


	4. Smoulder

**A/N: I laughed my $$ off reading all the reviews for chapter 3! Thanks guys!**

**Paralyzer - 4. Smoulder**

Spock was very glad that he was a genius.

Having deftly dodged Nyota's questions about the telepathic contact and his discomfort on discovering she was a student (he told her the touch was simply for added stimulation; which was not a complete truth, and that the discovery that she was student had merely surprised him as he thought she was already an officer, which was not a lie as such) he had told her that his communicator at home was damaged but that he would forward her the frequency when it was fixed. She had smiled wryly and he knew she thought he was brushing her off as a one night - alright, one mind blowing night and one spectacular morning - stand.

She could not have been further from the truth. He had thought about her on the walk back to his apartment on campus, had thought about her as he prepared the day's lesson plans for Particle Scanning Techniques, had thought about her while eating a simple lunch, and as soon as he finished work for the day he had gone home and devised an intricate relay communicator signal to send her the frequency for. The relay signal would bounce between seventy five relay stations before arriving at her comm. terminal. Any signal sent this way would usually incur a three second delay, but Spock was a genius with anything involving sending and receiving data and he was able to rig it so that no discernible delay would be caused. The reason for the relay was as dangerous as the deception was necessary; if he had communicated directly with her terminal her computer would detect the Starfleet signature on the wavelength.

Steepling his fingers in front of his face, Spock watched tensely as he waited for the signal to connect with her quarters. He had changed into non-descript clothing as soon as he had entered his abode. He hoped this worked...

The computer chimed its success and her smirking face appeared on the screen. "Well, hello. I didn't think I was going to be seeing you again."

Spock cocked his head and straightened in his seat, reaching for inner calm even as adrenaline surged through him. "Indeed. I trust you are well?" She smiled and nodded and he had never been happier to break the rules.

"I'm okay, had a hellish day of lectures though. My Xenolinguistics tutor is a real slave driver."

He had to bite his tongue before he asked how Professor Strife was able to sustain illegal human trading while on planet. This was going to be difficult...

"Anyway," she continued, not noticing his almost-slip, "I'm starving, would you like to get some dinner?"

His stomach grumbled, reminding him that the broth he had consumed at lunch had not been very substantial; evidently she had heard too through the communicator, as she laughed easily. "Dinner would be acceptable. Presumably you would prefer to dine away from the academy campus?" _Please say yes, please say yes_, "I imagine that after a disappointing day you would like to... escape?"

"That's a great idea. Do you like vegetarian sushi? I know a place in the city."

Agreeing on a time and place to meet, Spock signed off and almost sagged in relief. The ruse seemed to be working for now, he hated that it was necessary but after the connection they had shared the night before he _had_ to see her again. Logic told him that he should have severed all communication with her the moment he discovered she was a student. But logic also dictated that he should not have made love with her in the first place, and that would simply not do. He would not have taken it back even if he had been able to. Closing his eyes he could feel the phantom sensation of her soft, taut skin below his fingertips and he sighed as warmth trickled through him.

He hoped that tonight's meeting would end in a similar manner to the previous.

-UFP-

Gaila watched in amusement as her roommate bustled around their rooms with more excitement about a guy than the Orion had thought possible. She shook her head with a grin and returned to her PADD, tickled by the role reversal in play tonight; Gaila was the one cramming for a test and Nyota was the one with the hot date. Without looking up from her revision notes, she asked, "So who is this guy? You've been beaming all day but you've told me nothing about him."

Nyota stuck her head out of the bathroom and chirped, "He's Vulcan."

If Gaila had been drinking she would have snorted it all over her work. "_What?!_ Oh my Goddess, you slept with a Vulcan?!"

Nyota grinned, "Yup." Then disappeared into the bathroom again.

"Man, if I could be any greener right now... What was he like? Was it domo arigato, Mister Roboto?"

Nyota emerged from the bathroom and wandered into the room, a dazed smile on her face, "Absolutely not. He was incredible, and he did this thing," she wiggled her fingers at her brain, "I don't know what it was but it was like he was in my head. It was hot."

Gaila flipped her PADD to one side, laced her hands behind her head and leaned back against the headboard of her bed, eager for more details, "Tell me more."

Nyota threw a discarded clothing choice at her head. "A lady doesn't kiss and tell."

Gaila suddenly sat up straight with a glint in her eye. "Hey, you know there's a Vulcan in the Long Range Stellar Cartography department, right? Maybe I should try your moves on him."

Nyota laughed as she wriggled into a tight fitting pair of trousers, "I thought you were madly in love with Jim Kirk."

Gaila tipped her chin and sobered her expression, putting on a stuffy, academic voice to exclaim in fake pomposity, "All in the name of science, Darling. James would not mind I am sure."

Always amused by her bouncy friend's unquestioning acceptance of all things male, Nyota finished stuffing things into a small handbag and set out to meet her 'date'.

-UFP-

A delicious meal and comfortable conversation set the tone of comfort for the evening. Although her sister was still out of town and she had brought the keys with her just in case, Nyota was content to keep the evening platonic and suggested a walk by the sea once they had finished eating.

They strolled together, at ease with one another as they learned more about each other. He told her about his research and she told him about her studies. Then he did something stupid.

"I am giving a diplomacy lecture tomorrow on Senura-kana in the Cochrane Lecture Theatre. Would you like to come?"

She frowned in polite confusion. "You lecture on ceremonial language? I thought your area of expertise was advanced scanning."

Spock cursed mentally, thinking fast to cover up his slip without actually lying. "It is, but so few humans have studied Senura-kana, and even fewer can pronounce it correctly, that the faculty head asked if I would mind guest-lecturing."

She nodded, accepting the plausibility in his statement. He sighed, this was ridiculous, how long were they going to go on like this? How long was he going to spend making up half truths to deflect her from the fact that what they were doing was wrong? It had only been a day but already he was finding it tiresome; but what was he to do? Despite having known her for only a day, there was no way on this earth that he could not NOT see her. He was intoxicated, it was dangerous, it was illogical and it was absolutely breath taking.

The rest of their evening together continued along the same track of pleasant companionship, and despite his earlier hope for more activities that involved less clothing, he was quite content at the end of the night to bid her good night (safely off campus) with a gentle kiss to the cheek and a soft almost-smile.

-UFP-

The morning was not so forgiving.

Spock awoke on the day of his Senura-kana lecture with a raging erection and a grimace of displeasure. He had not been subject to what Nyota had termed 'morning glory' for years - Vulcan meditation did wonders for involuntary, embarrassing motions - the previous morning having been the first in a long time. But yesterday, she had been there to help take care of the problem; today he was alone with no intention of _touching_ himself - he grimaced again in disgust - in order to relieve it. So he rose, showered (showered _around_ it), dressed in meditation robes and sat upon his meditation cushion to relieve the issue.

Master of his own body once again, Spock was able to enter the Cochrane theatre and not miss a beat when he saw Nyota sitting in the third row, PADD and stylus poised and ready. He had been faced with a dilemma once he had consumed some breakfast and re-entered his sleeping chamber to dress because he could not wear his uniform. The minute he walked into that lecture theatre in his officer grays, Starfleet insignia gleaming on his chest and introduced himself as Commander Spock, it would all be over and his brief, slightly unhinged ruse would be up. Reaching for a set of robes instead of his uniform, he decided it would be quite acceptable to deliver a lecture on Vulcan ceremonial language in Vulcan ceremonial dress and to introduce himself more formally. No-one would see it as odd given the context and Nyota would be none the wiser.

The lecture was educational, in depth, and clear, as was every lecture he had given in the past. It was just as well that the audience members in all those other lectures were not as alluring as the girl gazing steadily at him from the third row, or he would never have gotten through them all. Her huge, exotic eyes remained fixed on him the entire time he spoke, she did not divert her gaze to view the displays that accompanied the lecture, nor did she turn to watch other students ask questions at the end.

Not until one of them dropped him in the proverbial, anyway.

He had indicated for a student he recognised from a previous guest lecture, seated in the front row, to put forward their question. "Commander Spock, is it true that the Senura-kana has been rejected in the P'tal region and replaced with the lesser known Taiya-kana?" He flinched inwardly at the use of his rank and glanced up at Nyota as she stared at the girl who had asked the question, and then at him, like he was some sort of alien creature with two heads.

Spock forced himself to tear his gaze from Nyota and answer the question. "That is correct, Cadet Murass, the P'tal people prefer the Old Language as opposed to the more formal Senura-kana." He dropped his eyes to his notes, unable to return his gaze to Nyota for fear of what would be in her eyes if he did.

The Q&A session wound down and Spock quickly gathered his effects, anxious to escape the suddenly claustrophobic room before she could corner him. Vulcans did not practice self flagellation, but following this cock up of monumental proportions he might have to give it a try.

He was not fast enough; a woman on a mission concerning the heart would not be stopped by a mere Vulcan. As the last of the students filed out of the room with Spock hot on their heels, her fingers curled around his upper arm, stopping him in his tracks as she hissed, "A moment please, _Commander_."


	5. Incendiary

A/N: Paralyzer is now officially my most highly reviewed story, which I will take to mean that it's going down well! Thanks for all the reviews, and don't be afraid to hit me with some criticism (constructive of course) if you think bits could be better.

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**Paralyzer - 5. Incendiary**

Spock found himself backing into the room as Nyota, beautiful in her fury, advanced upon him. Thunder was impossibly gathering over her head as her glare darkened to the colour of night. She scowled hard enough to crease the delicate skin between her eyebrows and when she finally spoke after long, agonising moments, her voice was low and dangerous.

"A researcher, you said; nothing remarkable, you said. What happened, you just _stumbled_ into a commission this morning when you got out of bed?"

Spock held up his hands in a gesture of supplication. "Nyota, please just-"

She didn't give him chance to finish, cutting him off as her voice began to rise in anger. "Not just any old, dime a dozen, makes the tea, cleans the conduits, minion go-for junior officer, but a _COMMANDER?!"_

He was meek in his reply when he couldn't help but add, "Pending First Officer status of the new flagship."

"OH MY GOD!!!" She threw up her hands and whirled away from him. He took an abortive step towards her but she was pacing furiously now, and if he kept moving towards her personal pacing runway she would probably flatten him. "What on God's green Earth could have possessed you to even make a move on me, let alone SLEEP with me?!"

Despite the fact that his human half was bouncing up and down with the thrill of confrontation, Spock forced some of that famous Vulcan calm onto his features and into his stance, before responding. "I was unaware that you were a cadet at the time. Had I known, the circumstances of our exchange would probably have been different."

She stopped pacing and looked at him incredulously. "Are you saying you would have done it anyway?"

He allowed a wry expression to quirk his lips, "Nyota, I felt attraction the moment I saw you. Even if we had not made contact that night it would simply have been a matter of time until I saw you around campus, and then..."

Unusually for him, he trailed off, uncertain of what to say next. What _would_ he have done if he had seen her around campus? The burn of lust when he had set eyes on her in the club had been impossible to ignore, but she had been wearing very little clothing and he was Vulcan, not blind. If he had seen her on campus she would have been in the regulation cadet uniform which, while flattering on females, was _uniform_, making her blend in with the hundreds of other females currently enrolled in the Academy. In which case he had no guarantee that she would have caught his eye at all. Also, she was not in any of his classes, she was based in a completely different school to his; would he have seen her at all except in passing? How could he know that he would have still felt this attraction had the circumstances been different? He realised that he was reacting with a human knee-jerk defensive mechanism, attempting to talk his way out of the fact that he had acted irresponsibly. So while it may well have been a matter of time until they ran into each other on campus, he had no real way to back up his argument.

"And then what?" she shot back. "You would have jumped me after class?"

Spock blinked, flustered at her suggestion. "N-No, I-"

"I don't know what's worse, the fact that I just had the most amazing night with a superior officer, or that said officer tried to hide the fact that he is, in fact, superior." Her eyes narrowed in rage and she hissed, "No, it's definitely the latter. How could you lie to me like that?"

"Nyota, I did not lie, as a rule I cannot, it is not logical to do so."

She shot back, "And it's logical to sleep with your students?"

"You are not _my_ student, you are _a_ student. The difference is not lost on me, it is what allowed me to contact you yesterday afternoon." His voice softened and he took a half step towards her. "Would you rather I had severed all contact with no word of explanation?"

Running out of anger, she deflated and pinched the bridge of her nose. "It would certainly have been easier than this." She looked up at him with a sad resignation swimming in her eyes. "Well it's clear what happens now." He watched as she pulled herself up to her full, unimpressive height, squared her shoulders and held out her hand. "Goodbye, Commander Spock, it was a pleasure to meet you."

Spock blinked again, stunned at her transformation from beautifully hot-blooded, emotional woman to this cold, controlled, distant being now standing before him. He looked blankly down at the hand she had extended. "Nyota-"

"That's 'Cadet Uhura' to you." Her eyes flashed, clearly she was not as in control of her emotions as he had thought. "I'm not going to let the fact that you thought with your dick get me expelled from the Academy." She smiled mirthlessly. "It's a damn shame I can't tell my roommate about this, she'd pitch a fit." She sighed heavily. "I should go, I have a test tomorrow I need to cram for."

Dazed, he took the hand that was still extended, unwavering, towards him. Her fingers were cool against his warmth and he felt it seep into his skin, travel up his arm and wrap around his heart. The cold squeezed and Spock reeled. How had this happened? A chance encounter leading to a mere two day acquaintance had managed to turn thirty two years of Vulcan discipline and control to mush. Fear lanced through him as the quick, deep attachment formed through requited lust panicked at her unspoken promise of severance of contact and he found himself acting on impulse. Listening for intruders, he tugged on the hand he still held, let the other hand come up to cup her cheek and kissed her deeply, before logic and decorum could stop him. She stiffened for a split second, before melting helplessly against him, moaning softly into his mouth as he poured his sorrow for what he had done and his desire for her into her. His tongue flicked out to meet hers and she gasped, Sense kicking Lust out of the way and reestablishing control. She pushed him away and staggered backwards, her arms extended where she had pushed him.

"Damn it, Spock! You don't get to just kiss it away! You don't get to kiss me period; you're a _teacher_, remember? Do you _want_ to get us both kicked out of Starfleet?" She whipped her head from side to side, convinced that they were about to be caught as she murmured under her breath, "They'll pull you up for cradle-robbing."

Spock fought back the urge to blurt out that chronologically he was not much older than she, sensing that such a response would most likely incense her again.

"Ny-_Cadet_, it is quite acceptable for cadets and officers to interact out of classes, so there is no reason why we cannot continue to enjoy each other's company."

She quirked a disbelieving eyebrow at him, amazed at his apparent naivete. "Do you seriously think we can just act like nothing happened? I know I can't and if we started spending time together as student and teacher, I'd be constantly thinking about what we did." She blushed. "I'd probably be thinking about ways to make it happen again."

A very human pulse of adrenaline surged through Spock at her confession, he knew that he too would be thinking along the same lines. Reining back on the urge to move towards her, he forced himself to see reason. She was right to be wary of continuing their acquaintance, they had already spectacularly shattered an important rule, and if they remained in easy contact it would only be a matter of time until they did it again. Even now he could feel the weak, incomplete, accidental bond they had formed in the heat of passion calling for him to reclaim her. He swallowed hard and masked his face with calm, settling his hands comfortably behind his back, below his heavy Vulcan robes. "I see your reasoning, Cadet, it would be logical for us to part company." He paused as his eyes flashed before continuing, "At least for now."

Despite the excitable warmth that flooded her at his unspoken promise, Nyota relaxed, her body easing from its formerly tense stance. They seemed to be safe, he appeared to be back in control of himself - which was a relief because she had felt her resolve to just break it off cleanly wavering with his persistence. The sound of approaching footsteps and voices outside of the room cut through the remaining tension between them; the next lecture were on their way in. She straightened and held up her hand in the traditional Vulcan salute, "Peace and long life, Commander Spock."

He returned the gesture, fighting the urge to curl in his thumb, ring and pinky fingers to make it into the gesture used for the Vulcan telepathic kiss. "Live long and prosper, Cadet."

When the next batch of students entered, all they saw was a fellow student and a Vulcan dignitary exchanging cool pleasantries. What they didn't see was two lovers trying desperately to keep themselves in check.

**-UFP-**

By the time Nyota made it back to the dorm she was exhausted. The exchange with Spock had drained her and she wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed and sleep for a week. Gaila was waiting for her, stretched out on her own bed, flicking through an academic periodical.

"Hey, how was your lecture?"

_Enlightening_ "Interesting. Vulcan is a beautiful language, it's just a swine to pronounce correctly."

Gaila nodded, returning her gaze to her reading. She waved a hand at the comm. terminal without looking up. "A message came through for you while you were out, I think it's from your course administrator."

Dropping her bag on her bed, Nyota moved to their shared comm. and sat down to read the message. Lieutenant Commander Dyson, her personal mentor, had been diagnosed with Bajoran Flu. It was not a life threatening affliction but it was rather difficult to concentrate as it thoroughly clogged every sinus in the head. It was also highly contagious, so Commander Dyson had been sent home for however long it took him to get over it. Nyota scrolled down to see who would be taking over for Dyson and then almost lost her lunch.

_Due to your work containing a predominant amount of research on Romulan, Commander Spock has been assigned as your temporary mentor due to his experience with this language. Professor Chang _(who was the head of the department and an equal to Dyson when it came to mastery of all three Romulan dialects) _has the maximum quota of students assigned to him already for this semester and is unable to accept you as an addition. Commander Spock has been relieved of some of his duties in the Long Range Stellar Cartography department in order to assist you and the other students assigned to Commander Dyson. Please attempt to make the Commander feel welcome in our department while he is working with us._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Yeoman Carter - Xenolinguistics Administrator_

Unseen by Gaila, Nyota braced her elbows on the deask and dropped her head into her hands.

Wasn't this just peachy?


	6. Kindle

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who is continuing to stick with me and review consistently, it's helpful to see how your perceptions change as the story progresses. Nearly 100 reviews; get in! I've never had that many reviews for one story before! ^_^

Special thanks go out to TFTSS and Kalanel for their continued awesomeness!!

If you find the dialogue a bit jarring in the middle section please let me know as I'm still not yet decided on whether to keep it raw as it is or to add in my usual spades of narrative, LOL.

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**Paralyzer - 6. Kindle**

Spock did not look up from his work as Cadet Franklin sauntered into the office and dropped into the chair facing his desk. "Good morning, Tom. I trust from your manner of entrance that your weekend was an eventful one."

Franklin leaned back in his seat and beamed. "Sir, you have no idea."

_You would be surprised._

Unaware of Spock's practically invisible, wry smile, Franklin continued,"I've been trying to get Ensign Mwabe to notice me for weeks, but I could never get up the courage to ask her out. In the club on Friday though, I don't know what came over me, but I just went straight up to her and kissed her." He whistled appreciatively under his breath. "Man, she can kiss." He shook himself from the memory and looked across the table at Spock. "What happened to you anyway, Sir? I came up for air and you'd gone."

Spock had looked up curiously at Franklin's suggestion that something may have affected his confidence that night. He was unable to resist drawing a parallel to his own, similar boldness regarding the way in which he had flirted with Nyota; a human practice that he had _never_ indulged in prior to that night. "Something... pressing required my attention, I apologize for leaving without informing you."

Franklin waved a dismissive hand and reached for one of the PADDs sitting on Spock's desk that was marked for his attention. "Don't worry about it, I understand if it wasn't really your scene."

Spock didn't say a word, thinking it wiser to allow Franklin to believe he had left because he had not enjoyed himself, than to defend his reason for leaving. That would raise more questions than he was comfortable answering. The two lapsed into comfortable silence, the only sound to be heard that of styluses on PADD screens as they plowed through the day's submitted reports.

A chirrup from the comm terminal in Spock's desk broke the silence and he leaned to glance at the sender's digital signature. He turned to look at Franklin. "Tom, would you mind if I took this in private?"

Franklin stood and stretched. "Sure, no problem; I was going to suggest I get us a drink from the mess anyway. You want a spiced tea?"

Spock nodded once, "Please. I propose you take a break for nourishment, as I do not know how long this communication will take."

Franklin nodded and headed for the door. "Okay, I'll bring your tea back with me."

Once the other man was out of the room, Spock returned his attention to the screen of his comm terminal, flicking the switch to accept the incoming transmission. It was Lieutenant Commander Dyson, contacting him from his quarters and looking appropriately puffy in the face.

"Commander Dyson, how do you fare with your affliction?"

Dyson sneezed wetly into a tissue and glared at the screen. "Badly. Look, Spock, I'm very sorry that I'm in no fit state to bat pleasantries around with you, so I'll be brief. Cadet Uhura sent me a message this morning asking to be removed from your xenoliguistics student pool. She didn't give me a reason and I didn't ask her for one - I can barely concentrate enough to see straight, let alone get pulled into debate by one of my brightest kids. The bottom line is that you can't let her; Uhura is a ridiculously talented linguistic mimic, she learns fast, faster than many of her peers and she needs the best tutors we can give her." He broke off to blow his nose to the tune of a badly clogged trumpet and Spock took the opportunity to voice his confusion.

"Commander, I do not understand. If Cadet Uhura wishes to be removed from my tutelage before we have even begun, surely there is someone else she can be assigned to." He kept his tone carefully neutral; Nyota had made it abundantly clear that she desired to be no where near him, he would not use his position of power to overrule her wishes.

"The point is, Spock, that there are only three of us on this campus that have the experience with Romulan to teach her; that's Chang, that's me and that's you. Chang is up to his eyeballs in fourth years and I'm up to my eyeballs in my own phlegm; that leaves you as the only person able to give her the stimulus she needs." He paused, took a deep breath and started massaging his own temples. "Also, she has a tendency to go off on wild tangents which, while great for exploratory research, has a terrible knock on effect with her analytical work. I think you'd be a good influence on her, in regards to the fact that you could probably get her to focus."

Spock cocked his head curiously, "This is an area in which you have failed?"

Dyson grinned, taking the statement as a complement in his peculiarly human way, "Completely, she reminds me of how exciting linguistics can be by being so pleased with everything she learns; I'm ashamed to say I do indulge her a bit too much. The problem is that she needs to focus that nervous energy if she's going to pass the Romulan module to the high standard I expect from her."

Spock nodded slowly. "If she will not agree to be taught by me, what do you suggest I do?"

"Fight for her, make her see that she needs you if she's going to succeed." Glancing off screen at the sound of his door chime, Dyson missed Spock's hard blink as he tried to stop the other man's words from echoing around his head, _'fight for her, make her see that she needs you'._

"Spock, I have to go, my latest batch of decongestants have arrived and by crikey I need to jack myself up on these bad boys. Good luck!" He signed off, the parting image on screen that of a man dashing for a hit of nasal spray.

Spock sighed heavily, hoping that Franklin would return quickly with the tea. He found he was suddenly in need of calming.

**-UFP-**

"This is a bad idea."

"I beg to differ, this is the only logical arrangement given the current situation."

"You _know_ what I mean."

"Cadet, if you are unable to act in a professional manner, I am sure I could find a method to keep you in your seat and out of mine."

"... You _didn't_ just flirt with me."

"Vulcans do not flirt."

"You clearly do. In fact if memory serves, it was _you_ who looked at me like I was some sort of tasty Vulcan hors d'oeuvre, then proceeded to take me outside and pin me up against a wall."

"I was under the impression that you wished to relegate that experience to the past. Now I suggest that you concentrate on the matter at hand."

"It'd help if you didn't stand so close. I can... _smell_ you."

"I apologize if my scent is unpleasant, I will endeavor to mask it the next time we meet."

"It's not bad, it's just... distracting."

"Distracting?"

"I'm not going there, Spock. Remind me why we need to do this tuition privately? Is there something wrong with teaching us all as a group?"

"Not at all, we will be having a group session tomorrow in fact. Commander Dyson thought it best for you and I to work privately on developing your third Romulan dialect. The other students assigned to me are still working on the second."

"Where's your assistant?"

"Cadet Franklin is a Stellar Cartography major, his skill set would be useless here even if I did invite him to join us."

"I'd just feel better if there was someone else here with us."

"Are you suggesting that I cannot keep myself in check in your company?"

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting; look what happened the last time we were alone together."

"I assure you, Cadet, that will not happen again."

"... Oh."

"You made your views on the subject quite clear at the time. Now will you please concentrate on the translation of this text."

**-UFP-**

Long Range Stellar Cartography was not the most exciting department at Starfleet Academy. The students of this subject did not get to meet and greet the Federation's more exotic species like the Diplomacy students, they did not get to subdue savage aliens during training simulations like the Covert Operations students and they could not accidentally create quantum singularities like the Experimental and Applied Sciences students. They did, however, get to reach out further than any other Earth-based division without ever having to leave their laboratories. This quiet existence suited Tom Franklin just fine, and having been awarded the illustrious position as Commander Spock's research assistant, Tom was more than content. He and his Vulcan CO had struck up a comfortable rapport, and the two men spent many evenings together after classes had finished, pouring over scientific journals, academic periodicals, and theorising on their own experimental scanning techniques. It was one of these tranquil evenings when Tom experienced the biggest eye opener he had received since joining the Academy.

He and Spock were seated in their usual arrangement at Spock's desk; Spock on his side facing into the room, and Tom directly opposite. The evening's PADDs for review were stacked neatly on the desk between them and Spock's computer was humming merrily to itself as it ran through the calculations he had just entered. One of the things Tom liked about Spock's office was that it felt old, even though it wasn't. The shelves that lined the walls were made of wood, the desk was wood, the floor was wood and the door was a heavy, dark stained oak. The room reminded Tom of his father's library back home and he always felt at ease in here.

The hushed quiet of Spock's sanctum was abruptly shattered by the heavy door that Tom so admired, being flung open hard enough to slam against the wall. Both men looked up to find a female cadet standing in the doorway, a PADD in one hand, the other hand balled into a fist and the threat of death on her face. She strode into the room making a beeline for Spock, halting in front of him as he rose to his feet to greet her. She looked at Tom, "Pardon me for interrupting. Do you speak Vulcan?" Tom shook his head in a negative and watched in amazement as she turned back to Spock and launched into a rapid, angry speech in his native tongue, waving the PADD still clutched in her hand for emphasis.

Spock, as stoic as ever, stood tall, as he always did and said nothing. When she had finished all but shouting at him, he replied in a short sentence which seemed to rile her even more. She held up the PADD and pointed at sections of text while speaking in a different language; Tom was no linguist, he had no idea what she was saying, but he figured she was unhappy about something written on the device in her hand. He raised an eyebrow, she had probably fallen foul of Spock's ruthless marking.

Spock took the PADD as it was thrust into his face and scrolled through the document with a raised eyebrow, as the cadet continued with her verbal diatribe. He spoke succinctly and quickly in order to best interject into the tiny pauses in her speech. Tom had to fight back a smile; he'd never seen anyone speak to Spock this way before, the Stellar Cartography students were generally a quiet, meek bunch, none of them would have dreamed of addressing a superior officer in the way this cadet was.

She finally stopped talking and stood with her weight braced aggressively on one hip, her hands joining in and gripping her waist tightly as she raised one eyebrow and thinned her lips. Spock was still looking at the PADD, but he was no longer politely indulging an angry cadet, he was actually frowning. Putting down the PADD for a second, he moved to his expansive bookcase and pulled out a thick, heavy tome. Tom recognised the symbols on the spine as Romulan and finally realised who the feisty cadet was. Spock had informed him a few weeks ago that his duties would be temporarily split between Stellar Cartography and Xenolingustics until Commander Dyson was fit to rejoin the world; this must be one of the third years he had mentioned that he would be tutoring. Tom's eyes scanned her form in a new light and he had a sudden attack of lechery; he had heard that the linguistics girls were great in bed, he wondered if this one fit the mould.

Looking up from where he had laid out the book, Spock had a faint trace of incredulity in his voice as he said to her, "You are correct, Cadet."

She smirked and picked up her PADD from where he had placed it on the desk and held it out to him. "I know. I'll be taking that A grade now, thank you."

Spock straightened and Tom almost fell off his chair in shock as the taller man tilted his head and smirked faintly in return. "I did not say that the paper is worthy of an A grade. Clearly your attention to detail is not in question, but this is not a study of the _Vulcan_ language, it is a study of _Romulan_."

She scowled. "I know what my paper is about, _Sir_."

"Indeed." Tom's head was swinging back and forth like a tennis spectator's, this was too fascinating to pretend he wasn't listening. "But Rihannsu does not concern itself with the economy of speech that Vulcan does; it is more passionate." He pushed the PADD being held out towards him back in her direction. "Your writing lacks passion."

What she said next was not what Tom expected. The average human would bristle defensively and retort with something along the lines of 'what would a Vulcan know about passion?', but what she said was: "You know I'm passionate, Spock."

Tom's jaw swung from his face.

He continued to watch, dumb struck, as the other two seemed to forget he was there in the room with them. Spock looked as though he wanted to reach out towards her, but he checked himself and replied instead, "I do not doubt it. What I doubt is your ability to channel that energy into your writing. While you must remain impartial in your written argument, you cannot produce a paper on the origin of Romulan poetic verse without injecting a little... flavour."

She looked down at the PADD in her hand and repeated softly, "Flavour..."

Tom looked on as Spock seemed to comprehend that she was struggling with what he was suggesting and he added softly, "The paper is not due until Friday. Come back here tomorrow after classes and I will assist you."

She straightened up quickly, glanced at Tom then back at Spock. "No, no that's okay, I'll figure it out." She glanced at Tom again, as if realising that she had said something she should not have. "Thank you for your time, Commander. I'll-I'll see you in class." She nodded at Tom and departed quickly, closing the door behind her.

Tom watched Spock return the Romulan book to its shelf and return to the desk. He sat in his seat, picked up the PADD he had been working on and raised his brows politely at his assistant. "Where were we?"


	7. Simmer

A/N: Edited for consistency of timeline. Doc is a numpty and needs a calendar LOL

Thanks again to everyone who is following this story, I am taking your criticisms on board even if I don't reply personally to your reviews. Extra thanks to my **WA** girlies, who help keep me in the realms of reality lol.

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**Paralyzer - 7. Simmer**

Nyota was striding purposefully down the pristine corridors of the Long Range Scanning faculty corridors. She was striding purposefully in the hope that marching would help to stop her stomach from quivering. She was striding purposefully with the intent to maim, her heels striking the tiled floor hard enough to jar her body with each step; she imagined the floor was Spock's face.

Marching into Spock's office, she held her head high, clenched one hand around the bag strap cutting across her body, and thrust out a PADD towards him. "How's this?"

Spock looked up from his work, raised an eyebrow, looked at the chronometer on the wall and looked pointedly at Tom, who was seated in his usual seat across the desk. "It appears our time is up for today, Tom. I will see you again tomorrow evening."

Tom promptly shut down his PADD, rose to his feet and hid a smirk at the suddenly crackling atmosphere. He bid Spock goodnight and nodded to Nyota as he passed her on his way out. He would have to hide a camera or something in here, so he could see what happened every time they kicked him out; this was Nyota's third dramatic entrance this week, the third time she had demanded Spock's full attention and the third time she had gotten an almost imperceptible rise from the stoic Vulcan.

_Almost_ imperceptible, Tom spent too much time with Spock to not know when he was reacting emotionally to something.

Once tom was out of the room, Nyota claimed his seat and pulled it in tight to the desk so she could lean her elbows on the table and steeple her fingers in front of her face. She watched Spock as he speed-read her document, his eyes lingering here and there as something caught them. She was watching very carefully for... _there it was!_

Spock stopped reading and both eyebrows shot up onto his forehead. A faint flush stained his cheekbones and he forced himself not to look up and meet her expectant gaze just yet. "This-" his voice strangled and he tried again, "This is not quite what I had in mind when I said you needed to write passionately, Cadet."

Nyota smiled innocently. "But when I came to see you yesterday, you told me to be graphic." She watched with barely concealed glee as his Adam's apple bobbed and a muscle jumped in his jaw.

"There is graphic, and then there is explicit." He looked up from the PADD to meet her gaze, his eyes smouldering in involuntary arousal. "This falls into the latter category."

Feigning ignorance, she stood again and came around to his side of the desk so she could peer over his shoulder at the PADD. She rested one hand possessively on the back of his chair as she leaned down, letting her hair tickle against the side of his face. She pretended to read for a second, then shifted so her cheek was level with his, her ear touching his, her gaze facing the same way as his; the position was intimate even without eye contact.

She whispered, "Well, would you look at that, you're right, Commander." A smirk pulled savagely at her lips as she heard him swallow. "How foolish of me."

"Cadet," his voice was rough, "Please return to your seat, this is somewhat... improper."

She turned her head so her lips brushed his ear and she whispered in mock contrition, "Oh, I _am_ sorry, Commander." She thrilled in his shiver and had to rein back on the urge to flick her tongue into the shell of his sensitive ear.

Doing as he asked, she returned to the chair and put on her mask of professionalism, well worn by now that it was after hiding her true desires from the entire campus for five long months.

She watched as he took a slow, steadying breath and visibly centered himself. He glanced at the door as if reassuring himself that they were, in fact, alone before speaking in a hushed tone. "Nyota, when I said that you needed to be more passionate in your handling of Romulan verse, I was not suggesting that you write _erotica_." He flushed again, embarrassed by the concept, despite the fact that he had done most of what she had written _with her_ in her sister's apartment.

Nyota bristled, immediately on the defensive. "You said, and I quote, 'your writing lacks passion'." She crossed her arms defiantly across her chest. "I'm just trying to step up to your exacting standards. I handed that first paper in to you months ago, and you gave a it a decent mark, I've submitted three papers since then, all of which you marked as 'acceptable'. I'm busting my proverbials, pulling all-nighters, I practically_ live_ in the library and you're _still_ not happy with my work." She crossed her arms across her chest and glared at him. "Sue me for trying too hard."

Calm now that she was safely on the other side of the sturdy, wooden desk, Spock examined her coolly. "I believe you have deliberately misunderstood me. I also believe that you knew exactly what my reaction would be to reading such material, and that this was a calculated offensive." He cocked his head curiously and looked at her as if she were an intriguing experiment. "Although to what end I am uncertain. It was you who set the boundaries on our association, yet you seem to be willfully testing them."

"Changable like the wind, that's me." Although her retort was quick, Nyota did find herself abruptly questioning her own actions. Since she had started working under Spock's tutelage, both on a one to one basis and within her tutor group, she had felt the draw between them growing stronger and harder to ignore. As such, she had been unconsciously sending out subtle signals to him that she was willing to pick up where they had left off. Her body was willing - _more _than willing evidently - but her mind was not; she had no more wish to continue than she had five months ago, but something was clearly affecting her on a physiological level. Thankfully, his control seemed to be outweighing hers, because left to her rebellious body, they would be in quite a pickle.

Unbeknownst to Nyota, Spock knew exactly what was going on, and was doing his damnedest to avoid doing something foolish. The accidental, tentative bond that had been created the night they met was still in place between them, and the longer they spent in each other's company, the stronger it became.

Unfortunately for his logic-dictated mind, his easily stimulated human side found it masochistically exciting to continue the battle to resist her, so he had not imparted his knowledge of what was occuring to her. Spock was having to fiercely meditate every evening in order to control himself in her presence, but whenever they were in the same room he_ burned_ for her.

He was uncomfortably hot right now and it was taking every ounce of unconscious control that he possessed to remain at least outwardly calm.

Rallying himself behind his flawless Vulcan mask of indifference, he handed her PADD back to her. "The piquancy of your argument should be expressed through your choice of language; you yourself must remain neutral. Your written Vulcan is precise and clear, which is perfectly acceptable within the sciences, but if you were to approach the Vulcan Arts Academy with poetry written the way you write now, you would be asked politely to leave." He sat back in his chair, warming to the subject and feeling the flare of desire for her that had seared in him dim to a mild simmer in his chest. "Vulcan poetry is very much like her people; placid on the surface but churning with emotions held deeply beneath. You must find a way to express the intense without _being_ intense."

Nyota frowned. "That makes no sense."

"I understand how to a non-Vulcan this concept would seem alien. In terms of Rihannsu, you may be more expressive because her people are more expressive. However, you will rarely find a vulgar Romulan; they are still originated from the same line as Vulcans, so the two will always share a genetic link, and both find vulgarity distasteful. The same applies to the language, Vulcan is controlled because we are controlled; Rihannsu is more passionate because they do not subscribe to the methods of logic and are subject to the power of their own emotions."

Nyota nodded slowly. "I think I understand." She retrieved her gaze from where it had been idling in vacant space while she listened to him speak, and fixed it on Spock. She took a breath and spoke slowly in Vulcan,

_//My sweet's kisses are so soft and gentle,_

_more exquisite than fine wine._

_Her slender fingers course through my hair,_

_sending shivers down my spine.//_

Spock quietly hissed in a breath through his teeth, as the weak bond between them flared, wafting her desire into his mind. _Ponfo mirann_, but this was getting hard to ignore, even for him. "That..." he cleared his throat,"that is much better."

She grinned, pleased with both her success and the effect that said success had on him. His eyes remained on hers, something shifted in them and the smile froze on her face. A shiver ran up her spine and prickled the hairs on the back of her neck as his eyes darkened and bored into her. He murmured her name, almost too low for her to hear and his fingers tightened where they rested on the desk. She shivered again as his fingernails scraped small ruts into the wood. Gods, he was making it so difficult for her to continue resisting him when he looked at her like that.

She had asked for retaliation by tempting him so sadistically; she could give it, but it seemed she was woefully unequipped to take it.

Nyota swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. It had only been five months; how the hell was she going to survive another year and a half without giving in to temptation?

**-UFP-**

"Come on, Nyota, there must be a way you can work with Commander Spock. I really don't see your problem."

Nyota twisted her lips into a grimace and gazed forlornly into her coffee with a sigh. Tom Franklin was sitting across the mess table from her, a cup of his own steaming brew in front of him. The two had become fast friends after meeting more appropriately in Spock's office the second time, when she had turned up to hand in her Romulan paper, this time with prose intact and engaging. A quick drink after classes one day had turned into two, then three; the next thing they knew they were enjoying each other's company twice a week.

"I don't want to bore you with the details, Tom, just suffice it to say that I _can't_ work with him."

It had been harder than she had thought sharing a classroom with Spock, even when she deliberately sat at the back, as far away from him as possible. The tutor group he had inherited from Commander Dyson was quite small and he made it a point to meet each student's eyes as he spoke, which in itself would not have been a bad thing. The bad thing was when he met her gaze she could see him holding back a smoulder that could probably set her alight.

Tom snorted in disbelief and she sighed again. If it was anybody else she would have just requested a transfer, but what Dyson said was correct: Spock really was the only one on campus who could give her the support she needed right now. She had spoken to Dyson yesterday, asking if there was any possibility that he would be recovered before the end of term. He had smiled kindly and apologised that no, he didn't think he would. He went on to explain that Commander Spock was a more than adequate replacement and that his nature would take a little getting used to.

She didn't need to get used to him, she needed to stop fantasizing about him bending her over his desk and breaking all the rules again.

She was just glad that there were no Betazoids in her class or she'd be in a whole new world of trouble.

She stirred her coffee and watched the steam coil from the cup. She wanted so badly to confide in someone, Tom, Gaila, anyone, but she couldn't; the minute it got out that they'd done what they did it would all be over for both of them, they'd be chased out of Starfleet for good. She couldn't even speak to Spock about it because she didn't trust herself not to jump him.

Fortunately, even though her emotional state was in tatters, her work was not suffering too much from the strained teacher/student relationship they were currently making the stiff motions of. Dyson had been right in saying that Spock would be a good influence on her; her written Romulan and Vulcan had improved noticeably and her grasp of Rihannsu had improved tenfold under his tutelage.

She sighed heavily. He was a great teacher, she'd be an idiot to let him slip through her fingers; she just wished there was some way for them to resolve what was between them.

Tom pursed his lips as he examined his companion. Over the last three weeks he had watched in rapt attention as Nyota and Spock wound each other up, but never quite to the point of breaking. Their verbal sparring - when in Standard - was an exercise in semantics and Tom could see that they both took a perverse pleasure in fighting with the other. There was a subtly sexual element to their dynamic chemistry, but Tom did not want to examine that too closely in case he ever decided to make a play for Nyota himself.

He sipped his coffee. Nyota was beautiful and Tom knew that Spock was not blind, he had to wonder what it would take to get the two cunning linguists together.

He snorted coffee into his own face, internally punning innuendo was not a good idea when one had a full mouth of hot liquid. Nyota stared at him as he spluttered into his mug, apparently drawn from her morose introspection by the noise.

"Tom? Are you alright?"

He wiped his face on a napkin and smiled winningly. "Yes thanks. Look, I have an important paper due tomorrow for you know who, I better go put the finishing touches on it. Do you want to meet up tomorrow night for some food? There's a new restaurant off campus I've heard is really good."

She smiled, "Yeah sure, sounds great." She raised a hand in a small wave as he rose to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Tom nodded a farewell and left the cafe. He had something important to ask Nyota and it seemed he had just given himself the ideal opportunity.


	8. Burn

**AN: **Much as I hate to be the bearer of bad news (or good news, depending on how you fill your glass), this is the conclusion of Paralyzer. I'd like to thank everyone who read and reviewed, I'd like to especially thank those who read and reviewed repeatedly, and I'd like to give a big hug to everyone who left reviews totaling more than one line!

My girls at **WA **have been invaluable, they're like my own private support group; "Hi I'm Doc, and I'm a smut addict", so thank you ladies for being made of all shades of awesome.

Coming up after Paralyzer will be either a ST:09 epic (which I am part way through writing) OR a Heroes psychological drama (which I have a big toothed plot bunny for), so keep me on alert if you like, and the shiny FFbot will alert you when I post it (whichever it may be).

So, without further ado, chapter 8 of 8! *Wipes away a tear*

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**AN 2: EDITED TO ADD, THERE **_**WILL**_** BE A SMUTTY EPILOGUE... EVENTUALLY.**

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**Paralyzer**

**8. Burn**

Tom held a PADD in each hand. Glancing from one to the other and then back again, he finally made a noise of disgust and thrust them at Nyota.

"Help me! I can't decide!"

From over the cosy restaurant table, Nyota took the devices being shoved in her direction and flipped them round so she could read them. Silently mouthing the text that was displayed on the PADD in her left hand, she nodded along congenially with what she was reading. Switching to the screen in her right hand she got as far as the first line and nearly lost both eyeballs as her eyelids retracted almost completely into her head in shock.

She snapped her gaze back to her dinner companion and almost threw the PADDs at his head. "You're nuts! Choose this one!" She waved the device in her right hand.

Tom grinned with pride, then deflated a second later and propped his chin in his hand. "I know I should, but working for Spock has been so amazing and insightful that I'd be a fool to pass up the chance to keep working for him, especially with the Cygnet long range sensor array coming online this year. Do you have any idea how much new data from outside of the Alpha Quadrant we'll have access to once it's active?" His eyes glazed over in sensor-geek bliss.

Nyota had to physically restrain herself from leaning over and rapping on his head. "You dummy! You're being offered the Enterprise! You won't have to stop working with him, he'll be there too!"

Tom abruptly snapped out of dreamland and locked sharp eyes on her. "What? How do you know that?"

Nyota froze; had she just released classified information? She slowly lowered the PADDs to the table in front of her as a modulated reply sounded form her lips. "Uh, I heard that he was being considered for the role of First Officer." It wasn't a complete lie; she_ had_ heard it, from the man himself.

Thomas Jason Franklin was an expert at deciphering coherent information from within sensor garbage. Oddly enough this was a skill that could be applied to people as well as data. He may not possess the social airs and graces of many of his peers, but he sure as hell knew how to pull the truth from within bullshit. He narrowed his eyes shrewdly and watched his friend closely for her reaction to his next question. "He told you didn't he?"

Blinking rapidly and trying not to get flustered, she stammered, "N-no, no he didn't."

Tom threw up his hands in victory. "I knew it!" Leaning forwards and lowering his voice to a conspiritory whisper, he said, "There_ is_ something going on between you isn't there?"

Tunnel vision immediately set in, blinkering Nyota's view of the room around her as sheer panic triggered an autonomic Fight or Flight response. She moved to push her chair back from the table and her words rushed out, "Dinner was lovely, thanks Tom, I'll see you-"

A hand shot out to grasp her wrist, stopping her from standing. "Oh no you don't." Relaxing his grip, Tom attempted to calm her down, "It's okay, Nyota, no-one else suspects a thing and I won't breathe a word, I promise." He felt the arm in his hand relax somewhat so he released her and tucked the discarded PADDs back into his bag and folded his hands on the table in front of him. "Do you want to talk about it? I'm guessing you haven't told anyone, it's probably eating you alive having to keep it to yourself."

She pinched the bridge of her nose. He already knew and she _had_ been itching to tell someone...

"It was an accident."

Tom snorted, then struggled to smooth the hilarity from his face as hers descended into horrified mortification. "What was an accident?" He had a pretty good idea, considering the colour she had turned.

"We, uh, you know..."

He raised an eyebrow in an uncanny impersonation of his boss, "You what?"

She cast a quick, furtive glance around which made her look ridiculous, seeing as they were in a crowded restaurant. She leaned closer and whispered, "We slept together," then blushed to approximately the same shade of red as their tablecloth.

Tom couldn't fight back the smirk this time. "You _accidentally_ slept with him? What happened, you tripped, fell, landed on his-"

"_Tom!!_"

He was laughing now, "I'm sorry, Ny, I fail to see how you can 'accidentally'," he mimed inverted commas with his fingers, "do something like that." He pulled his napkin out of his lap, tossed it onto the table and waved for the cheque. "Let's go, this isn't the best place to have this conversation."

**-UFP-**

_She was below him, over him, touching him, enflaming him._

_He writhed below her, his skin intoxicated with her touch, his body crying out for more._

_He reached up towards her but could not reach, his fingertips were desperate to feel the softness of her face, to slip into her mind, but she held herself aloof, mere millimeters away from his grasping fingers._

_"Nyota... please... please let me touch you."_

_She shook her head slowly as if moving underwater, her hair cascading around her shoulders. "No, Spock, don't you see it's better this way?"_

_He didn't see, he didn't care, he needed her and he'd be damned if she was going to stop him._

Spock awoke with a jolt, a reaction to the sudden onset of consciousness that had not happened to him since he had been a boy. Laying stretched out on his back, he listened to the sound of his own shallow breath, felt the sweat beading at his temples and lost himself to the intoxicating rhythm of blood thundering through his veins. Sliding one hand down the length of his body, he took hold of himself and groaned into the dark silence of the room as pleasure rolled through him at his own touch.

It took two strokes for him to realise what he was doing and he snatched his hand away from his body as if he'd been burned.

Rolling out of bed, Spock checked the chronometer and decided he'd had quite enough sleep for tonight, thank you very much.

*

_He was over her, below her, his skin was hot to her touch and he sighed as she explored him._

_He writhed in pleasure and she stroked lower, watching with glee as his breath caught and his muscles tensed._

_He reached up towards her but she dodged away from his skillful fingers, knowing that she would be lost to him if he made contact. _

_"Nyota... please... please let me touch you."_

_His voice was almost her undoing, she'd never heard it tremor like that before. She shook her head slowly as if moving underwater, her hair cascading around her shoulders. "No, Spock, don't you see it's better this way?" It _was_ better this way, they were safer remaining as student and teacher. If they were to return to 'lover' status, even once, there was no way that she could keep her hands off him, and that was just too dangerous._

_Something shifted in his eyes and she swallowed._

_Danger-_

Nyota woke up with a start and lay blinking rapidly into the darkness of her dorm room. Gaila's soft snores were the only sound to break the silence and Nyota squinted at the chronometer by her bed; _five am?! _There was no way she was getting up at such an ungodly hour.

Rolling over and snuggling deeper into her blankets, she squeezed her eyes shut, forced thoughts of Spock from her mind and her body and attempted to go back to sleep.

**-UFP-**

It was a bleary, shadow-eyed Nyota Uhura who entered the language lab for her one to one with Spock.

It had been five days since her dinner with Tom Franklin and three days since the dreams had begun, starting with the one where she wouldn't let him touch her. She hadn't been able to sleep through the night since. Each dream made her wake up hot, sweaty and aroused; each dream was worse than the one preceding it and each dream made her question the wisdom of her decision to leave Spock the hell alone.

She yawned mightily and set her bag down on a console, taking a seat next to it as she waited for Spock to join her in the adjacent chair. The Vulcan in question greeted her without looking up from the work station he was bent over, facing away from her. Nyota swallowed, his position gave her an unobstructed view of his buttocks and was it her imagination, or were his uniform trousers particularly well fitting today?

"I will be with you in just a moment, Cadet." He shifted his weight from one hip to the other as he worked and Nyota blinked, convinced she was going to go blind if he kept moving like that. The dreams had been wearing her sanity thin and she had known that she was going to be hyper aware of him when they next crossed paths; fortunately she hadn't had to be in a room with him since before they had started. This one to one was the first time she had seen him since her ordeal of sweet torture had begun and she had been dreading it with almost every fiber of her being.

From his position at the console, Spock felt his lips flicker at the corners as a self-satisfied smirk threatened. Sheer, unadulterated lust was transmitting loud and clear through the bond; it looked like his plan to get his way was going to be easier than he had anticipated. Experimentally, he reached for a far control, the movement causing him to arch his back and pull the fabric of his trousers tight over his buttocks. The almost inaudible hiss from behind him communicated his success and this time the smirk very nearly burst onto his face.

Nyota willed her eyes to blink, but they refused to run the risk of missing even a nanosecond of this spectacular sight, remaining fixed open and staring. He finally turned around to face her and she startled, looking away guiltily and trying to find something else to look at. He approached her slowly, his head tilted down so he could gaze at her through his brows and she swallowed again; that was definitely a weighted look. It looked like he was deliberately tempting her and damn it all but her body was reacting to it. What had happened to her resolve? Where was the iron clad will not to re-engage as intimately as they had? Why wasn't she stopping him from prowling towards her? Why-

He came to a stop beside her, reaching across her to activate the screen she would need and inadvertently offering her the long column of his throat. Unable to stop herself, she took a deep breath in through her nose and reeled at the scent of him; warm, male, spice, the intoxicating aroma of pheromones. Clamping her legs tightly together she refused to give in to the flutter in her belly as he withdrew.

"Shall we begin?" His voice was soft, low and far too close to her ear as his breath ruffled the hair at her temple.

"Uh-huh." She couldn't articulate beyond grunts. This was bad. If she had no resistance to him at a distance then how was she supposed to stop him if he decided to try and sway her now? She chanced a glance at him and almost swallowed her tongue.

His gaze was fixed on her lips and as her own tongue unconsciously darted out to wet them, his eyes dilated.

She groaned in dismay, "Oh God."

His eyes immediately snapped back to hers and he leaned closer, the mild concern on his face at odds with the arousal in his eyes. "Is something wrong?"

She hadn't realised she had spoken out loud but was both mad (brain) and glad (body) that she had as he moved to within her personal space. She licked her lips again, perversely enjoying the way it made his eyes darken. "Uh, no, there's nothing wrong."

His eyes scanned her face before he said softly, "You made a sound of discomfort, are you certain that you are well? Perhaps we should postpone this session." He began to move back to a safe distance.

Nyota's libido was not at all happy with this arrangement and took control of her mouth, making her blurt out, "No!" _damn it!_ "I mean no, I'm fine. I'm just tired, I've not been sleeping very well."

_Neither have I. _

"Very well." He indicated the text on the screen in front of her, "Please translate this passage from Federation Standard to the mountain dialect of Rihannsu, to Anakana Vulcan, to standard Rihannsu then back to Federation Standard."

As she squinted at the text, her fingers flying over the type pad, she became aware of a pleasant, relaxing sensation between her shoulder blades. She was so tense that she didn't stop to question what it was or where it was coming from until after she had finished the near impossible task of making the final translation coherent. Sitting back in her seat with a victorious flourish she relaxed as the gentle massage of Spock's fingers between her shoulder blades filled her with languid heat.

Wait... Spock's_ fingers?_

She jolted upright and away from his hand which was resting on the back of her chair. "Spock! What are you-" his finger on her lips silenced her and his own lips pouted into a gentle shushing motion.

"I am merely attempting to facilitate a state in which you can work. You are clearly suffering from your sleep deprivation." He withdrew his fingers and slid his chair away from hers. "I apologise if I have caused you discomfort."

"I'm not uncomfortable, it was just a little, uh," _nice _"surprising."

The hand on her back and his finger on her lips had been the first physical contact between them since the day of the identity revealing lecture. Her lips twitched involuntarily as the digit was removed, as if trying to keep it where it was. She took a deep, calming breath, blinking rapidly as she received a second wave of male scent and realised that there was no way she was going to be able to keep her hands to herself.

So she sat on them.

Spock, noticing her strange action, quirked an incredulous eyebrow but said nothing. Nyota nodded to the screen, refusing to release her hands until he was out of range again, "Please continue with the exercise."

He returned his seat to its position next to hers and reached across her again, this time being sure to 'accidentally' brush her upper arm with his hand as he did. She shuddered and he had to fight back the smirk again; the outcome of this exercise in flirtation seemed extremely hopeful.

The remainder of the session tested every ounce of control that Nyota Uhura possessed. Spock seemed determined to break through her defenses, although she wasn't sure if it was just her sleep-deprived mind imagining his flirtatious behaviour. He whispered something in Vulcan directly into her ear - an exercise in 'Vulcan whispers' he had said, the concept being similar to the information lost through Chinese Whispers - and she blushed; she definitely wasn't imagining it.

"Did-did you just say what I thought you said?"

"That would depend entirely on what you thought I said." The smirk was audible in his voice.

"Spock-"

"Whispered Vulcan loses a considerable quantity of meaning, due to the inability to express natural verbal rise and fall." He shifted close, too close, his chest bumped lightly against her upper arm and he placed his lips next to her ear to whisper hotly, "The same does not apply to Federation Standard." His tongue flicked out to lick his lips in anticipation of success, catching her earlobe as it did so.

Nyota was in trouble.

There was no way on God's green Earth that she was going to be able to resist giving in to him if he didn't move away from her within the next thirty seconds. His body heat was bleeding into her despite the combined depth of their uniforms, his heavenly masculine scent had long ago filled her senses to fog her mind and his lips against her ear were going to quite literally melt her brain inside her head.

Steeling the last of her resolve she took a breath to speak, but he beat her to it, husking desperately into the hair at her temple,

"_I want you_."

There was a pause...

...She turned her head to face him.

There were precisely five millimeters between their lips.

Spock's eyes dilated.

Nyota swallowed.

Without unlocking his gaze from hers, he addressed the computer quietly, "Computer, lock the door."

The computer chimed its unwitting assistance in this irresistible seduction.

Nyota swallowed again, but made no move to belay the order to Spock's digital accomplice.

Spock's voice returned to its heated whisper, this time against her lips. "Denial is illogical."

Nyota found her voice, it was a lot less assured than she would have liked. "So is seducing your students."

His lower lip brushed against hers as he murmured, "Too late."

Something_ snapped._

She was in his lap and straddling his hips before the thought to do so even had chance to finish forming. Sinking her fingers into sleek, black, Vulcan hair, she drank deeply, intoxicatingly of his lips as strong, male arms came about her and crushed her to him. Reason had fled, restraint hot on its heels and Nyota gave in _finally_ to five months, six days, two hours and forty five minutes of lust. Retrieving one hand from the delicious depths of his hair, she grazed her fingernails over his temple.

An unrestrained groan of pure satisfaction and a glorious writhe from the incredibly aroused man below her was her reward.

The part of Spock's mind that was still operating a modicum of sense noted cooly that the exercise in flirtation had indeed been successful. It then raised an incredulous eyebrow at the activities taking place before it and returned to introspection, leaving the instinct-driven Vulcan free to submit to the moment.

Submitting was the last thing on his mind right now.

Grasping Nyota's wrists, he removed her hands from his head and pushed on her arms until they went behind her back. Holding both of her wrists in one of his, he brought his free hand up to trail telepathic fire from her forehead, over her cheekbone, along her jaw and down her throat. She quivered against him as he passed over the fluttering pulse in her neck, so he did it again and she broke their kiss to pant against his face, "Tom knows."

Spock froze.

In the next instant Nyota was standing unsteadily on her feet, having been unceremoniously placed there by Spock, who had immediately surged into anxious pacing the second she was off him.

"You are quite certain?"

She nodded, unable to articulate verbally just yet, after all he _had_ just turned her synapses to mush.

"Tom has been an exemplary student and assistant, I only hope he can be trusted to be discreet."

Nyota's tongue decided to start working to form words again. "He can, he assured me that no-one else even suspected anything. I trust him." She suddenly became very self conscious, despite the fact that none of her clothing was out of place and she was not too disheveled. She reached for her bag, intending to leave; Spock caught the movement and stopped pacing.

"Where are you going?" His expression was habitually blank, but his eyes were still blazing with need.

She pulled her bag onto her shoulder and shrugged, feeling ridiculously immature but unable to quell the sensation. "I should go. This was just a moment of weakness, we can-"

"Commander Dyson will be recovered by the end of the week." He blurted, deliberately interrupting her.

"He will?!" Nyota's voice was shrill with relief and she silently thanked everything that was holy. At least now she might stand a chance of graduating without being kicked out of the Academy first.

"At which point you will no longer be classed as my student."

She didn't like the way he was heading with this line of thought, despite the excited leap in her chest. "And?"

He was fast.

He had her pinned to the wall before she could blink, his arms either side of her holding her trapped against the unyielding surface.

His eyes were dark with promise and his voice came out in a growl. "I tire of this continued, imposed restraint, Nyota Uhura."

Despite her determination to behave, she thrilled in his possession of her name and pushed her hips forwards until they brushed against his; she felt his arousal quickly returning through his trousers. She bit her lip and replied in perfectly translated (into the third dialect of Rihannsu) verse:

"_Doing, a filthy pleasure is, and short;_

_And done, we straight repent us of the sport:_

_Let us not rush blindly on unto it,_

_Like lustful beasts, that only know to do it._"

Spock's inner scholar beamed in pride as she finally understood what he had been trying to teach her, even as his libido wailed in dismay at its defeat. "Petronius. Interesting." He closed his eyes, took a deep, calming breath and forced his body to cool its almost uncontrollable ardor.

Once he was in control of himself again, he turned his back and took a step away from her. "Very well. We will wait, but I promise you this." He spun to face her and Nyota realised that he was not quite as under control as she had thought; his eyes seared her with the intensity of his desire. "You _will_ be mine as soon as I am in a position to take you."

A slow smile spread over Nyota's face, pulling into a smirk as she noted the effect it had on him.

It was going to be an interesting post-graduation party next year.

**~Fin~**

* * *

^You see that? You see it? Fin... _FIN!!!_ IL EST FINI! *Slumps happily in chair* It went nowhere, had no major impact on anything but by golly I had fun writing it.

Fanx for lasting this far! Reviews are made of dreams...

*Schleps off to bed*


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